The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-09-16
ON THE POTOMAC.
Campaign OF South Mountain
and the Antietam.
M'CLELLAN's LAST BATTLE.
Lees Invasion of Maryland
Twenty-Five Years Ago.

How sstoseSa1s Jackson's Mem sang
my Maryland" on tho Potesnac.
'rhe Lord BLESS Yoar kssssd. Dirty
souisi''--Lee's Lost Dispst<.I,--n Battle
ef sise Thre. Mountain Passes--cap-
tnre of Harpes-s Ferry by ihs Confesi-
erates--Ths S"rissn Road at Sharps-
bure--DunLer Ciiarch. ~
In the assu5er'atjon that reisnaa at Wash.
ington after the secoisl battle Df Bull Run.
Aug CO. 1862, Haleck wrote TASTY note ia
Mcclellan. as follows You will retain the
command of everything in this vicinity not
temporarily to be Popes army in the field.
beg of You 10 assist nio ia this crisis with
your ability and experience" f
Mcclellan, at the time OF receiving this
note, was not In command Of anything TO
speak of. His army had been i,lostly sent to
Pope in Virginia Haleck's order meant
that Mcclellan was 60 take command of tho
defenses of the city OF Washington, aud that
Immediately
After the bloody fight OF Chantilly, Sept.
l, Gen. Pope's Onion army-what was left of
it-straggled into Washington, ragged, foot,
sore; aud half starved. They were allowed
30 rest and pull themselves together again
for a few days within the intreneblnents OF
the city. Meantime, Popo once more re-
quested 70 be relieved of bis conuuand and
sent back west His request was allowed.
Sept. he turned his face westward, and his
back on that eastern army which be Relieved
had never supported him sincerely Many
OF bis couptryinen shared tho same opinion.
1t was declared that had Mcclellan hurried
Iranklin's and Summers corps forward to
tue support of Pope, as lie had been ordered
20 do, the Union defeat at the second Bull
Run would not have happened Horace
Greeley, i'll his american Conflict, - says so
in so many words. He writes: Had they
been there Two days earlier, and had Porter
now and then eondescended to obey an order.
that defeat might haye been transformed
into q victory"
AT any rate, wioSesoever the fa,it. Popc's
bloody and unsatisfactory campaign was
over. Ills star i'll the east had gone down
The eyes OF tho country once more turned To
mcclellan. Those first Years of the war
were, on the Union side, desperate hunting
after great generals.
Sept. =, President Lincoln and Gen. Hal
lesk placed Mcclellan again at the head of
all the eastern army. They personally called
at lis house and asked him to take command
again. The Army of Virginia was no more,
and the reorganized Army OF the Potomac
tOoC UPON It's IulIlS.
: The army in Washington having rested,
still formed as fine body of fighting men as
need be. Rest brought back their old spirits.
recruits poured In from oil quarters and soon
filled out the skeletonized regiments Sept. z
IN MCCLELLAN aol led out of Washington an army
%, OO0 strong. A new campaign was to re-
store tho confidence OF the country in her
Young Napoleon.
: Banks was left in command Of the defenses
at Washington. Mcclellan led ont from the
city the First, Second, Sixth, Ninth and
Twelfth army corps commanded respect
lively by Hooker, Skinner, Franklin, Reno
and Mansfield Gen. COUGHS division of the
Fourth corps was attached to the Sixth.
fitz John Porter, with his Fifth army corps,
Joined Mcclellan Sept IL. The total strength
Of his army is put at this date at 104, 246. or
this splendid army, Burnside commanded
the right, Sumner the center and Franklin
the left. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton had charge
Of the cavalry. In this order the army Of
the Potomac advanced once more to try con-
illusions with Lee and his men. They did not
exactly know where Lee was YET, but it was
not long till they found out